Vacuum cleaner



J. F. CARSON Oct. 27, 1931.

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Dec. 31, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Irv/enter. Je: 5s a?Carson, KW 97 H is AttOTh 6y.

J. F. CARSON VACUUM CLEANER Filed Dec. 51, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 444/ Hi Attorney Patented UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JESSE I. C ARS ON, OFCLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC VACUUM CLEANER COMPANY, IN 0., OFCLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK VACUUM CLEANER Applicationfiled December 31, 1928. Serial No. 329,576.

At the present time the standard type of vacuum cleaner is bag which isconnected at its, inlet end to the discharge conduit of the fancasingwhile the outer end is supported from the handle employed to movethe cleaner over the surface to be cleaned. These dust bags, whileefiective for the purpose, are objectionable to clean and are tooexpensive to be thrown away.

My invention has for its object an improved portable vacuum cleanerwhich does not require any external bag or other dust separator, but onthe other hand has a removable dust separator located wholly within thewalls of the cleaner and which is of such a construction and type thatit can be thrown away after use and a new separator substituted at acost which is so small as to be negligible.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention,attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claimsappended thereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of myinvention, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the cleaner, Fig. 2 is asimilar view with some of the parts removed to show the internalconstruction, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the dust separatorand its supporting frame, Fig. 4 is a longitudinalnsectipn of thecleaner on line 4-4 Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the cleaner withcertain of the parts broken away to show the internal mechanism, Fig. 6is a perspective view of the dust box and separator, and Fig. 7 is apers ective view of a slight modification of the ox and dust separator.The casing for the cleaner comprises a bottom wall 8, a top wall orcover, 9, and side walls 10 and 11. The bottom wall stops short of thefront end of the cleaner to form the rear wall of the nozzle opening 12.Extending across the front end of the nozzle is a rod 13 which forms afor the cover 9. The cover is made of thin sheet material, and when inthe closed position rests on the top surfaces of the side walls 11 and12 and also forms the front wall one having a fabric dust" supporterhinge pin of the nozzle. The front ends of the side walls define theends of the nozzle opening. The cover is held in position by a pair ofclamps 14 of any suitable construction located at the rear of thecleaner. These clamps are best shown in Fig. 4. Each clamp comprises ahook 15 which on ages a bead on the rear end of the cover, a racket 16,and a handle 17 whereby the clamp may be released or secured inoperative position. The pivots 18 and 19 of the clamp are so arrangedthat when in the cover engaging position the pivot 19 passes over thedead center and thus firmly holds the cover in place. The front of thecleaner is supported y a pair of floor wheels 20 which are carried bycranks 21, which form a part of the transverse rod 22. The clearancebetween the surface to be cleaned and the nozzle can be adjusted by thescrew 23. The cleaner is supported at the rear by a single caster 24supported by a'suitable bracket.

Located in the rear of the cleaner is a horizontal cylindrical casing 25which, in addition to enclosing the motor and suction fans, forms therear wall of the casing of the cleaner. Located within the casin is ahorizontal shaft electric motor 26 of any suitable or well knownconstruction. On the shaft 27 of the motor is a fan 28, which isarranged to receive air at its center and discharge it outwardly. 29indicates a partition or diaphragm the periphery of which engages theinner wall of the casing. 30 indicates a second fan, also mounted on theshaft of the motor, which receives the air from the first fan anddischarges it through the openings 31 Fig. 2 in one side wall of thecasing. One end of the casing 25 is provided with numerous openings 32,through which air from the nozzle is received after the dust has beenseparated therefrom. This air passes through an opening 33 in thediaphragm 34. One advantage in mounting the fans and motor in the mannerdescribed is that after the air has been freed of dust it flows over themotor parts to cool them. By mounting the motor and fans crosswise ofthe cleaner I am able to reduce the over-all dimensions of the cleanermeasured in the direction of its length. The same arrangement of partsallows the cleaner to be made so low that it can freely pass underfurniture and other objects. By using two fans operating in series I amable to reduce the speed of the motor, at the same time obtaining a highdegree of suction in the nozzle opening. By reducing the speed of thefans I am also able to decrease the noise incident to their use.

I may of course use a higher speed motor in which case the suction Wlllbe greater due to the use of two fans in series.

In the front of the cleaner and just above the nozzle opening is locateda revolving brush 38, Figs. 2 and 4, which may be of any suitableconstruction and which is supported at its ends in suitable bearings 39.The brush is driven by means of a pulley 40 located at one end of thebrush spindle. The shaft of the motor is also provided with a pulley 41,as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2. The two pulleys are connected by asultable belt 42, which belt may with advantage be made of rubber. Thebelt and the pulleys are enclosed by a housing 43.

The cleaner is moved about by means of a suitable bail 44, which has asocket to receive the handle 46. The wires connecting the motor to thesupply mains are not shown, but the ordinary arrangements may beemployed.

Located wholly within the cleaner is a dust or dirt collecting box 50,which is best shown in Figs. 2 and 6. The box is provlded with bottomwall 51, side walls, 52, and a vertical front wall 53. The latter isprovlded with a lip 54, which extends downwardly as shown in Fig. 4, andwhich engages the bottom wall of the cleaner at the nozzle opening. Thepurpose of this is to prevent the dust-laden air from passing directlyinto the box instead of upwardly over the top of the wall 53, as bestshown in Fig. 4. The rear wall of the box is made in the form of ascreen 55 through way to the fans. S1tuated 1n the rear of this wall isa frame 56 which is also made in the form of a screen, and 56 is locateda dust separator 57. This separator comprises numerous layers of'thmporous paper assembled to form a pad through which the air passes on itsway to the suction fans, and which separate the dust and dirt therefrom.The larger part cles of the dirt and litter of different sorts w1ll dropinto the box 50, whereas the finer particles of dust'will be screened orseparated out by the separator 57 The separator is of such a s1ze andshape as to form a partition and is situated between the floor nozzleand the suction side of the first fan. To accomplish its purpose therelatively soft edges of the pad are in contact with the side walls ofthe casing and also with the cover. The bottom edge of pad rests onwhich the air passes on its and between the parts 55' edge is prevented.Without intending to limit my invention, but by way of illustrat1on, Ihave found that a pad composed of approximately fourteen thicknesses ofthe kind of paper called Cotex will give satisfactory results in acleaner of the character illustrated and described herein. The dust boxis designed to fit into the cleaner in the manner shown in Fig. 2, andis provided with a handle 58 by means of which it can be readilyinserted or removed from place. After the cleaner has been used sometime and it is desired to clean it, it is necessary only to open thecover 9 by releasing the clamps at the rear, swing the cover forwardupon its pivot, and remove the dust box, after which the frame 56 can beswung downward and the separator removed and a fresh one substituted.Any dirt which may have been collected in the box can be removed byinverting the box and gently rapping it.

Since the separator is made of numerous thin and rather delicate layersof paper, assembled to form a pad it is desirable to support the same bymeans of a suitable frame.

This can be done as shown in Fig. 3, wherein 57 indicates the variouslayers of paper and 59 indicates a frame made of cardboard or some othercheap material. The frame and the separator are united by means ofstaples 60 such as are commonly used in fastening papers together.

In Fig. 7 is shown a slight modification of the invention wherein thesurface area of the separator is substantially double that shown in Fig.6. In this construction the box has a .top portion 61 made in the formof a screen, as well as a back portion 55, as best shown in Fig. 6. Thescreen for holding the separator in place is made in two parts 62 and63. The part 63 is hinged at 64 to the bottom of the box, and the parts62 and 63 are united by a hinge 65. In this case the separator66,instead of being made in one flat piece, is in the form of aright-angle piece, one portion of which is vertical at the rear, theother portion horizontal and flat at the top. The front of the box isprovided with a hinged member 67, and small pivoted devices 68 by meansof which it may be fastened in the upright position, the said devicesengagin the lugs 69. When in operation the part 6% is disposedvertically and forms a trap to retain dirt and litter within the box.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited. States, is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a casing having a bottom andside walls, the bottom and side walls defining part of a nozzle, a coverfor the casing which is pivotally supported by the side walls at itsfront end and which also forms the front wall of the nozzle, a suctionfan, a motor for driving the fan both located at the rear end of thecasing, and a separator for the dust-laden air which is located withinthe casing between the nozzle and fan and extends transversely of thecasing and engages the walls and cover thereof and forms a partition.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a casing having a bottom andside walls, the bottom and side walls defining part of a nozzle, a coverwhich is pivoted to the side walls at its front end and whlch forms alsothe front wall of the nozzle, a suction fan, a motor for driving thefan, and a dust separator which also forms a partition located withinthe casing between the nozzle and fan, the edges of said pad engagingthe cover, and side walls of the casing.

3. In a vacuum cleaner, the combination of a main casing comprisingbottom and side walls, one of said walls having an air-dischargingopening, a suction nozzle at the front end of the casing, a suction fan,a motor for driving the fan, the shaft of said motor extendingcross-wise of the casing, a cylindrical casing for the fan and motorwhich also forms the back wall of the main casing and through which airpasses to said opening, a cover for the caslng, and a separator locatedwithin the casing between the suction nozzle andthe fan for separatingthe dust from the air after it leaves the nozzle and before it entersthe fan casing.

4. A vacuum cleaner comprising a casing having bottom and side Walls, asecond casing which forms the rear of the casing, a thin metal coverwhich is hinged at its front end to the side Walls and cooperatestherewith and with the bottom to form a floor nozzle and also with thesecond casing to form a chamber, means carried by the second casing forclamping the cover in place, a suction fan and its driving motor locatedwithin the second casing, and a transverse partition within the casingfor separating the dirt from the dustladen air received from the nozzleand before it enters the fan.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 26 day of December,1928.

JESSE F. CARSON.

